"Build a real wall, not a fake wall of barbed wire and helicopter patrols." After it was widely reported that Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was President-elect Trump’s top choice to be secretary of Homeland Security, he made clear to me his stance on border security. Like Trump, Kobach is closely identified with taking a hard line on illegal immigration and border security.

Fellow border security hawks have noted that he is actually more committed than Trump on two key immigration-related issues: the building of a wall along the Mexican border and passing legislation requiring English as the official U.S. language.

During the Republican National Convention this summer, the Kansan was a pivotal player on the party platform subcommittee that wrote the party’s strongly-worded plank on illegal immigration. Among the language he successfully fought for in the platform was building the wall.

"It was an emphatic endorsement of building the wall along the Southern part of the U.S.," Kobach told me. "And I mean build a real wall, not a fake wall of barbed wire and helicopter patrols."

Throughout the subcommittee hearings, Kobach fought for toughening the party’s stand on immigration. At one point, subcommittee members moved to remove words of support for English as "the official language" and offered alternate language that would not upset Hispanic-American voters by suggesting they could not speak their native tongue.

Kobach responded the Republican Party "should never suggest we back off making [English] the official language of the U.S." In so doing, he explained, "the official language has an impact only on communication in government. It certainly doesn’t dictate to anyone how they communicate with one another or in their homes."

Kobach, 50, was formerly a top aide to Attorney General John Ashcroft during the Bush-43 administration and Republican state chairman of the Sunflower State. He became the subject of widespread press speculation for the Homeland Security slot on Monday after carrying immigration-related papers into a meeting with President-elect Trump.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.

"Build a real wall, not a fake wall of barbed wire and helicopter patrols." After it was widely reported that Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was President-elect Trump’s top choice to be secretary of Homeland Security, he made clear to me his stance on border security.